When Thomas Tuchel named his England squad for this World Cup, it was immediately criticised due to the big names omitted and his decision to prioritise team spirit over pure ability.<\/p>\n
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Everybody thinks they know better, but Tuchel always insisted there was method behind his approach. He at least deserved credit for his conviction, and the biggest irony was that he had done what many people had demanded for years.<\/p>\n
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For all the furore surrounding the absence of Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and even Morgan Gibbs-White, Tuchel was unmoved, insisting there was little point in taking five or six potential playmakers when only one could play at once. Jude Bellingham is the first choice, with Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze, who are also capable of playing on the left, as his deputies.<\/p>\n
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Given Palmer and Foden had difficult seasons, it was hard to argue for their inclusions. But other calls, like Jordan Henderson being selected at the age of 36 due to his leadership skills, and Newcastle fullback Lewis Hall and Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid being left out, were harder to understand.<\/p>\n
Tuchel\u2019s \u2018my way or the high way\u2019 style, both with his squad and the media and fanbase, is admirable, but adds extra pressure for success. He needed a strong start to the tournament, and although there were teething issues in defence, the freedom in attack and Tuchel\u2019s fearless substitutions when the game was in the balance earned him rightful praise and bled real positivity of England going far in the tournament.<\/p>\n
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But then came the game against Ghana. Drawing 0-0 in the second group match is nothing new, it has now happened four tournaments in a row. But certain outcomes have again thrust the choices made by Tuchel back under scrutiny.<\/p>\n
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For long periods in the game, England struggled to break down Ghana\u2019s low block. Many people pointed out that either Foden or Palmer could have helped unlock the door, fairly or not, and a potential injury to Declan Rice may thrust Henderson into the firing line.<\/p>\n
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Reece James, who has a long history of injury problems, is said to be struggling, while Djed Spence, who started at left-back despite his favoured position being on the right, visibly frustrated Tuchel because of his lack of \u2018give and go\u2019 with Anthony Gordon ahead of him. The two changes made, both in defence, seemed to have more of an impact on England\u2019s ability to attack, with Nico O\u2019Reilly and John Stones replaced by Spence and Marc Guehi.<\/p>\n
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Hall\u2019s absence, given the fact he has built a great relationship with Gordon at Newcastle, particularly in terms of combining in attack, was conspicuous.<\/p>\n
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There were positives, too. Rogers, Eze, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka all helped increase England\u2019s intensity. Many critics said they should have come on earlier. Ultimately, the squad had enough about it to get the win, so questions about its make up are neither fair, nor productive.<\/p>\n
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But Tuchel\u2019s tactics and team selections were wrong, and he didn\u2019t react with the same conviction which proved so effective against Croatia.<\/p>\n
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We have seen both the positive and negative side of England in this tournament and, crucially, so has Tuchel. Challenges are natural if you want to win the World Cup, and England\u2019s defensive issues are more concerning than their difficulties at the other end, especially with the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all hitting form.<\/p>\n
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The squad selection was controversial and there are issues which are calling it into question again. Can Tuchel and England come up with the answers? Only time will tell, but if not, only more questions will follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Thomas Tuchel named his England squad for this World Cup, it was immediately criticised due to the big names omitted and his decision to prioritise team spirit over pure ability. Everybody thinks they know better, but Tuchel always insisted there was method behind his approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":54847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[1269],"class_list":["post-58540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport","tag-feature-home"],"yoast_head":"\n